Drug cures disease similar to Parkinson's

June 21, 2006

Exposure to the metal manganese can be toxic, causing tremors, unsteady gait and a masklike facial expression. It happens to workers who mine manganese and to welders who use welding rods coated with that metal. The symptoms are so similar to those of Parkinson's disease that doctors call the condition "occupational manganese-induced parkinsonism.'' Researchers in China, however, assisted by a professor at Purdue University, have discovered that a tuberculosis drug called sodium para-aminosalicylic acid cures the condition. The medicine, which is similar to aspirin, seems to reverse brain damage previously thought to be permanent. "The bigger picture is that this drug might also be used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, but more work is needed to confirm this theory,'' said Wei Zheng, a professor at Purdue and a co-author of the study.